Hi,
Great topic! I will list the questions, with my answers following
• What is the daily menu for your Doberman’s diet? (Kibble, wet food, raw, home cooking, etc) and what made you decide to feed this way? Have you fed any other foods prior to your current menu?
We feed Solid Gold WolfKing. Gunner gets 4-5 cups, daily; the APBTs get 2-3 cups, and the Chis are free fed. I worry about Hypoglycemia with them, so they have food in front of them at all times.
We have tried several foods over the years, with varied results. Everyone but Gunner did fabulous on Canidae. He didn't hold his weight very well on it. We tried just switching him, but the rest of the brats were jealous and kept trying to steal his food, so we switched everybody. I am glad we did. They all have better pigment and shinier coats now.
My absolute favorite diet that we ever fed was RAW. All of our furkids did sooo well on it. Great coats, tons of energy, *gorgeous* white teeth and lots of energy! And they loved it! But it just got really difficult when traveling for shows, trials, vacations, etc. So we tried just feeding kibble when we traveled, but they wouldn't touch it. lol. Smart doggies! So we now feed the WolfKing as a main staple and supplement with RAW a couple times a week. That has worked out well for us, and the dogs enjoy the variety.
• How many times a day do you feed them and how much?
We feed once a day. It's easier when traveling, and this way they are used to it, so it's one less thing to alter in their routine when we're on the road. See above for amounts
• Do you give treats? If so, what kind? How many/often do they get treats each day?
Yes, we give a variety of treats. I like to make home-made as often as possible, but there isn't always time for it. So I try to buy healthier treats that are corn, wheat and soy-free. Especially when we're training a lot and they are getting more treats than usual.
• Do you add any supplements to your Doberman’s diet? If so, which ones do you give? What made you decide to add supplements?
Aside from the RAW, we give Solid Gold SeaMeal and peanut oil (be careful of peanut allergies if you decide to try it!!!). The peanut oil helps condition their coat from the inside out and cuts down (drastically!) on the shedding.
• If you feed a super-premium dog food, what made you decide to switch to it? Where did you learn about the super-premium dog food? (word of mouth, internet, friends, vet, etc)
I have done a ton of research into dog foods. APBTs tend to have sensitive skin and can easily develop food allergies. Plus, we ask a lot of our furkids. They spend many weekends out of the year traveling to various events and we want them to be as healthy, and have as much energy, as possible. Plus, we want to have them with us for a good long time. I personally wouldn't touch the grocery store brands, and wouldn't feed Iams, Eukanuba, Science Diet, etc. if you paid me. That being said, I know of a long-time (30+ years) Dalmation breeder who swore by Purina Dog Chow and Puppy Chow. So, at the end of the day, you have to figure out what works best for you and your dog(s).
I found this website:
The Dog Food Project - How does your Dog Food Brand compare? to be extremely helpful.
And that's my 2 cents
~Kelly~